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Edible DIY may not be the first book for crafty cooks and burgeoning urban homesteaders, but it is the easiest. Based on the popular online Serious Eats column by the same name, Edible DIY includes 75 recipes divided into five chapters: Crunchy; Boozy; Sweet; Spicy Condiments, Pickles and Snacks; and Jams, Jellies and Other Preserves. With plenty of packaging tips throughout, Edible DIY is the perfect solution for making inexpensive edible gifts in your own kitchen with everything from Peppermint Marshmallows and Coconut Granola to Homemade Sriracha and Espresso Barbeque Sauce. Inspirational full-color photography throughout illustrate the recipes.

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This book compares four mainstream green building styles, including: Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs), Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), Advanced Framing, and Earth Shelters. Also included are case studies and story problems for deciding which renewable energy systems work best for specific areas.

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Going green has never been so easy! The array of so-called "green" products on the market is dizzying and often misleading. Consumers need one reference book that clearly lays out what is the better choice-between brands, benefits and costs. Just Green It! compares brand-name products, making it easy for consumers to make environmentally friendly choices on everything from light bulbs to mattresses to baby food. It tells you which products are the best for the planet and also healthy for you, your kids, your home and your budget. For the average consumer, this means clarity of green definitions and product comparisons that are no longer a luxury, but a necessity. Authors Ron and Lisa Beres debunk the "greenwashing" that is so prevalent in modern marketing and teach readers how to know the difference between such confusing terms as "natural," "organic," "chemical free" and "nontoxic." Full of surprising facts and lots of ways to save money and help the environment, this is an essential book for the modern age. Did you know the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island is large enough to be seen from outer space? That imported vodka has a higher carbon footprint? The Green Movement is concerned about the effects of our collective carbon footprint on the planet. A "green home" is one that does not endanger the planet's health. The Beres, on the other hand, are concerned with how our footprint is endangering the health and well-being of each individual. A guidebook for navigating the oversaturated green marketplace, Just Green It! is a must-have for today's tough economy. Just Green It! was chosen in May 2011 as an honorable mention by San Francisco's 2011 Green Book Festival.

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Cob (an old English word for lump) is old-fashioned concrete, made out of a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. Becky Bee's manual is a friendly guide to making your own earth structure, with chapters on design, foundations, floors, windows and doors, finishes, and of course, making glorious cob.

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If you've ever dreamed of building a rustic log cabin to use as a weekend hideaway, hunting lodge or even an emergency retreat, this book tells you how to make it a reality. This step-by-step guide is chock-full of tips and advice culled from author Michael Mulligan's decades of experience. Specializing in do-it-yourself projects that use improvised materials and avoid bureaucratic hassles, Mulligan first shares invaluable insight on finding your land and negotiating the shark-filled waters of real estate deals. Then, in straightforward terms that even a novice can follow easily, he walks you through the construction process, from selecting and preparing the logs to erecting and chinking the walls to building the roof and finishing the interior. He also includes a chapter on dispensing with public utilities in meeting your water, sewage, heating, cooking, lighting, power and refrigeration needs. Finally, for those who wish to tackle a scaled-up version of Mulligan's basic design, he presents the formulas necessary for calculating the parameters and selecting the proper material.

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The How-to Guide to Building With Straw Bales (Post and Beam Infill) DVD covers post and beam construction using a structural support system in the home (typically wood), with straw bales as infill insulation (nonstructural bales). In nearly three hours of instruction, this best-selling DVD walks you through the entire baling process of a post and beam home, step-by-step. You'll learn how to:

• install toe-ups
• properly set up your baling layout and bale walls (including inside and outside corners)
• create niches, truth windows and window seats
• work with tall walls, as well as rounded and straight edges
• weedwhack your walls
• apply welded wire mesh
• work with electrical and plumbing systems in your walls
• get your walls completely ready for the plastering process
• and more!

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In the How-To Guide to Building With Straw Bales (Load Bearing) DVD, you'll discover how this form of construction uses the bales themselves as the structural element of the home. The roof sits directly on the bale walls and the straw itself is load-bearing. Nearly two hours of instruction takes you through the entire process of building a load-bearing straw bale home in a day-by-day teaching format.

The DVD shows in detail everything from creating a pad and pier raised floor foundation to installing toe-ups, baling the walls square and plumb, using the best strapping to pre-compress your walls, installing the rafters, attaching the roof sheathing, installing windows and doors, dealing with cabinetry installations, and much more.

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This double DVD set with nearly 3 hours of step-by-step footage will walk you through the entire framing process from start to finish. Whether you have never framed before or if you know how to frame but aren't clear on what the differences are between standard construction and straw bale wall framing, this video will provide you valuable information.

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Did you know that the average cost of hiring a plaster crew to apply three coats of plaster to a 1,500-square-foot home is more than $15,000? And that's just for the labor! Fortunately, plastering is a skill that is teachable, and people around the world have successfully created beautiful plaster jobs on their straw bale homes.

The How-to Guide to Plastering DVD includes nearly a full hour of information, sourced from professionals, that you need to know to plaster your straw bale structure successfully with natural hydraulic lime. (Due to its durability, breathability, natural ingredients and user-friendly application, natural hydraulic lime may well be the best material for plastering straw bales.) The techniques taught in this DVD can also be used with just about any plaster you choose. The technical details transfer to such finishes as earthen plaster, cement/lime mixes and more. No matter what plaster you choose, the information in this DVD will help you create a beautiful and durable finish.

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The How-to Guide to Building a Monolithic Concrete Slab Foundation DVD contains the latest information you need to know to build your own foundation. Walking through each stage of the building process, the DVD provides simple how-to techniques that will have you building your own concrete foundation with no prior foundation or concrete experience.